Internships at FACC New York

FACC New York’s tailor-made internship program is designed to provide the selected Finnish students with an excellent opportunity to learn more about the skills required to excel in today’s fast-paced international working environment.

The 3 to 6 month internship will take place at FACC’s headquarters in New York City where the intern will be assigned challenging projects and tasks with clear responsibilities and goals keeping the learning curve steep through the working period. As a result, the FACC internship program develops future talent for Finnish companies that currently lack of professionals who are accustomed to work in an increasingly global business environment.

Networking skills and professional network

Finns, in particular, have been slow to adopt face-to-face networking techniques that are required to build a meaningful professional network in the commercial sector, especially abroad. To address this issue, FACC interns will take part in all Chamber’s events and seminars enabling them to learn networking skills and establish a professional network that will serve them in their career paths following the internship.

Supervision and coordination

The internship program is managed by FACC’s Executive Director who familiarizes interns with the Chamber and its objectives, provides assignments and serves as the primary contact for any questions.

Academic credit

The internship may carry academic credit for students currently enrolled in studies in a Finnish university. Currently enrolled students are preferred interns for the program.

Financing

The internship is nonpaid, but FACC covers costs associated with the Visa application, travel, and costs related to work at the destination. Students can obtain additional financing in form of student allowance and special grants awarded by various Finnish non-profit organizations. FACC NY can take up to 6 interns per year depending on the amount of financial support that the Chamber receives from sponsoring organisations in the given year.

Meet Our Previous Interns

Tiina Vaahtio, Business Development Internship 2016

Who I am: I am Tiina, a 25-year-old business student from Aalto University. I completed my Bachelor’s Degree in International Business and currently participate in a dual Master’s Degree in International Management (CEMS) and Information and Service Management. My previous work experience includes sales, logistics and exporting. Currently I’m focusing on learning to work in the intersection of business and information technology. My interests include business intelligence, analytics, business development and international business.

What I do at FACC: Analytics, business development, networking, sales.

Why New York: I previously lived in the suburbs of New York, so NYC was a familiar choice to me. Afterwards, I have lived in Mikkeli, Helsinki, Hong Kong and traveled around South-East Asia. However, being back in New York feels amazing! It is a place that always has something new to offer. Besides, New York is one of the greatest cities in the world where you can constantly learn something new and meet interesting people. Moreover, this is a great place to build global competence. It’s a place where international working environment, competition and talent all prosper.

What I have learned: I’m now halfway through my internship and I have already learned multiple things. I’ve managed to build websites with WordPress, construct dataanalytics and visualizations with Tableau, andto lead an international project team. Living abroad is also a great way to learn soft skills such as open-mindedness, adaptability, flexibility and dealing with uncertainty.

Verna Vuoripuro, Communications Intern 2016

Who I am: I am Verna, a 21-year-old journalist, business student and communications professional from Helsinki. I have worked at a big newspaper, a small startup and a few other places in between. I am passionate about community management, content production, music and dogs. I spend my spare time being a complete foodie on the streets of Brooklyn.

What I do at FACC: Strategic planning of our communications and marketing, producing content, meeting insanely interesting people, updating our social media channels and monitoring analytics.

Why New York: New York is a hyper competitive environment to build business relations. It toughens you up, in a good way! The abundance of restaurants, networking events, potential new friends and cultural experiences is astonishing.

What I have learned: Openness, resilience, internationality and self-knowledge. To measure and model communications and to understand the importance of those functions. To navigate NYC and its quirky, absurd and extreme qualities.

Emmi Kauppinen, Business Analyst Intern 2016

Who I am: Emmi, a 24-year-old finance & accounting major from Turku School of Economics who has previous work experience from financial sector. Currently enjoying of the opportunity to expand my business understanding and skills in a dynamic startup environment. Passionate about finance, economics and Excel as well as traveling and learning new ways to think. I spend my spare time exploring the city by running, meeting new people and enjoying delicious food.

What I do at FACC: Analyzing and improving FACC’s financial reporting process, meeting new people and learning more about the American business culture.

Why New York: New York is my favorite city because of the energetic and inspiring atmosphere among hard-working business professionals living here. Each day is different and you never know who you end up meeting on a normal Monday. Besides business perspective, New York is an exciting city full of fashion, art, coffee and amazing food.

What I have learned: My internship has strengthened my organizational skills and my ability to understand company’s business model and project results from the grass roots to the board level. I’ve also gained experience in other fields of business such as sales and marketing, which for me is valued since it is not my actual field of study. This internship has also enhanced my understanding of the American business environment and skills to cooperate with American professionals and co-workers.

Lotte Lönnqvist, Marketing Intern 2016

Who I am: I am Lotte, a 26-year-old marketing enthusiast, almost Master of Science in marketing. Job background in a travel agency, clothing & apparel business and an insurance company, professional competences in marketing processes, sales, account management and social media marketing. Passionate about travelling to new places, trying new foods and latest fashion.

What I do at FACC: At FACC NY I work with marketing processes, social media, prospecting and sales.

Why New York: Well, why not? I have always wanted to live in New York. I think New York is a unique city in so many ways. It is the most interesting place in the field of business and culture.

What I have learned: Marketing and sales methods of a non-profit organization & content creation for different social media platforms.

Nita Junnila, 3-month Internship 2016

Hi,

My name is Nita and I am a Graphic Design student from Finland and currently doing my three-month (January–March 2016) internship at the Finnish American Chamber of Commerce New York.

I feel privileged to be the first intern at FACC NY and I am excited to have been provided with this opportunity. FACC NY as a workplace has provided me with an excellent framework to develop myself, as it has members from different industries, whom I have honor to serve and meet at the events. I also find that I do important work by serving the organization, which slogan is “Standing up for Finnish Enterprise” and which is helping Finnish enterprises to come to the U.S. markets and that also create value for its current members in New York.

When writing this, I have been working for FACC for three weeks and this has been a great experience so far. My work tasks are mostly marketing and communications related, as daily tasks include but are not limited to updating FACC NY’s social media channels, answering general inquiries from the members and potential members, helping in planning and organizing events and creating marketing materials. I cannot wait what the upcoming two months will bring, I am ready to put my hands in the clay and do my best to make this organization even better. I want to be part of developing FACC NY’s services more helpful and valuable for the members.

If you have any questions about the internship I am happy to answer. Also, if you would like to hear more about my experience, I am always up for a coffee. Let’s connect on LinkedIn or do not hesitate to shoot me with an email at nitaidaada.junnila@gmail.com.